Buckle up – Chevrolet’s latest advertisement will take you for a percussive ride… while staying in park.

About the ad

To promote its brand to young drivers on TikTok, Chevrolet teamed up with creative agency BizSys to create a custom-designed steering wheel that duals as a miniature drum set. Featuring six individual electronic sensors, this dulcet disc can be played by hitting different sections while the car is in park.

In order to show-off this whimsical wheel, Chevrolet invited Brazilian musician and popular TikToker Carlinhos Brown to test his chops. Not only did Brown impressively knock out a sick steering wheel beat, but at the end of the ad, he challenged viewers to try and “beat” his beat, in a challenge dubbed the #BatuqueChallenge.

Utilizing music in advertising

While music has been used in advertising for decades, its utilization has changed dramatically. From the creation of musical jingles to help customers remember brand names, to paying popular artists to create songs about a product, music can be a powerful tool in shaping brand perception and retention.

Chevrolet didn’t just turn one of its vehicles into a musical instrument (although, let’s be honest, it didn’t do quite as cool of a job as  Julian Smith did with a Jeep in 2009) – the company also enlisted an influencer musician to “play” it, and then challenged viewers to make music on their own steering wheels. The multi-pronged strategy uses music to increase engagement and expand ad reach by tapping into influencer clout and inviting user-generated content.